2016 has come and gone. A lot of great releases came through, but I felt there was a number of bands who failed to show up. Especially in the more classic death metal genre. Not to say there were not great death metal releases, because there were some amazing ones. Just not as many as I had hoped. When I stumbled across The Replicate, I thought what better way to kick off 2017 than with some original sounding classic progressive death metal. While only temporarily satisfying my craving with a 4 song EP, A Selfish Dream, where one of the songs is simply a filler, it has engaged me and got me excited for death metal in 2017.
This one man project by Sandesh Nagaraj of Los Angeles, is an intriguing one. From the first track "Chainsaw Of God", it's evident Sandesh, who is originally from India, knows exactly what type of music he wants to produce. The focus is very clear, and this EP could easily be mistaken for a mature band exploring its limits after substantial past releases. The confidence in the progressive writing, and early 90's sounding production and tone through all the tracks fit a cohesive mold that is satisfying.
"Eugenicide" is a complex, progressive labyrinth of tone and mood that will quickly stick out as a favorite and identifiable piece. The beginning opens with an odd science fiction sounding tremor, which leads into almost wacky riffs and fluctuating vocals. An even pace is quickly established while this more traditional structured song is book-ended by the swinging interludes that will rapidly take root and be replayed in your head.
While The Replicate has laid a solid foundation in their very short EP A Selfish Dream, I only hope this limited sample is not the last we hear from them. The brevity of this release was a nice tease. If you're a fan classic progressive death metal with a strong technical vibe, give this short album a listen. I hope it strikes the same chords for you, as it did with myself.
Score: 6.5/10
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